Thank you to our generous supporters

Windmill Microlending relies on the generous support of both public and private sector funders and investors for loan program delivery, loan capital pool, and special projects. We extend our gratitude to the following supporters, whose contributions are instrumental in making our loans and programs possible.

Transformational partner

Scotiabank

Scotiabank, through the ScotiaRISE program, supports Windmill to provide professionally skilled women immigrants with career mentoring and financial support to secure meaningful employment.

ScotiaRISE is Scotiabank’s 10-year, $500 million initiative to promote economic resilience among disadvantaged groups. ScotiaRISE partners with organizations that provide the tools people need to improve their education and employment prospects, adapt to changing circumstances, and increase the likelihood of financial success.

Visionary contributors

Windmill is grateful to the following supporters for their substantial, cumulative contributions since April 1, 2019.

$1M+ Cumulative

  • RBC Foundation
  • The Rossy Foundation
  • Scotiabank
  • TD Bank Group
  • The Pathy Foundation
  • Crux Capital
  • Anonymous (1)

$500,000-999,999 Cumulative

  • Manulife
  • Coast Capital
  • Claudia and Graeme Hepburn
  • The Hunter Family Foundation
  • John and Dana Montalbano
  • Anonymous (1)

$250,000-499,999 Cumulative

  • The John Dobson Foundation
  • Donner Canadian Foundation
  • Robert & Mary Pat Armstrong
  • The Peter Gilgan Foundation
  • Walt Macnee
  • Mastercard Impact Fund, with support from the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
  • Munford Family Foundation
  • The Young Fund Hamilton Community Foundation
  • Hamilton Community Foundation
  • Definity Insurance Corporation
  • Anonymous (3)

Annual contributors

With gratitude, we acknowledge the generous contributions of $1,000 or more to Windmill from individuals, foundations, and corporations between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023.

$100,000 – $999,999

  • Robert & Mary Pat Armstrong
  • The Azrieli Foundation
  • Donald Family
  • The Peter Gilgan Foundation
  • Claudia and Graeme Hepburn
  • The Hunter Family Foundation
  • Walt Macnee
  • Manulife
  • Scotiabank
  • TD Bank Group
  • Anonymous (4)

$50,000 – $99,999

  • Diane Blake and Stephen Smith
  • Crux Capital
  • The John Dobson Foundation
  • Donner Canadian Foundation
  • The Flanagan Foundation
  • The Koerner Foundation
  • KPMG in Canada
  • Laurentian Bank
  • Louis Family
  • Munford Family Foundation
  • Pierre Lassonde Family Foundation
  • Power Corporation of Canada
  • The Young Fund Hamilton Community Foundation
  • Anonymous (4)

$25,000 – $49,999

  • AIMCo Foundation for Financial Education
  • ATB Financial
  • J. Armand Bombardier Foundation | Foundation J. Armand Bombardier
  • Canadian Western Bank
  • Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group
  • Francis Family Foundation
  • GROW Fund at Toronto Foundation
  • Imperial
  • MobSquad
  • John and Dana Montalbano
  • The Nicola Family Foundation
  • The Earle and Janice O’Born Family Foundation
  • The Petman Foundation
  • VetStrategy
  • Miyo Yamashita and Michael Guerriere
  • Anonymous

$10,000 – $24,999

  • Christina and Matthew Anthony
  • The Birks Family Foundation / La Fondation de la famille Birks
  • Michael Borden
  • CU Financial Management
  • La Fondation du Grand Montréal
  • lan Martin Group
  • The Morris & Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation
  • Karl Jeam Legacy Loan Fund
  • Ninette Kelley
  • V. Paul Lee
  • Longview Asset Management Ltd.
  • Susan McArthur
  • The McLean Foundation
  • The O'Sullivan Family
  • T.R. Meighen Family Foundation
  • Trottier Family Foundation
  • The Octavio Ventura Memorial Fund at Calgary Foundation
  • Anonymous (2)

$5,000 – $9,999

  • Deloitte
  • The D.R. Ashford Fund at Calgary Foundation
  • Gartley Family Foundation at Toronto Foundation
  • Mitch and Shira Green Family Fund at Toronto Foundation
  • Shamira and Karim Madhany
  • Willow & Grace Foundation
  • Anonymous (3)

$1,000 – $4,999

  • Vladimir Ahmad
  • The Calgary Foundation
  • Samba Chunduri
  • Carrie Church
  • Genbridge Family Offices
  • Rob Hinley
  • Intact Financial Corporation
  • Gail Jarislowsky
  • Carsten Jensen
  • The JRG Family Fund at Calgary Foundation
  • Claire Kennedy
  • Ron Kneebone and Cindy Lucas
  • Shannon Kot
  • Katalina Kovesfalvi
  • Dr. Paras Mehta
  • Vanessa Morgan
  • Geneviève Morin
  • Ted Snow
  • Lori Sterling
  • Brent Sutton and Lesley MacGregor
  • Shannon Townsend
  • William and Marta Vandermarel
  • Anonymous

Loan Fund Supporters

  • Aghar Family Loan Fund
  • Amal Umar Loan Fund
  • ATB Loan Fund for Albertans
  • The Azrieli Foundation
  • Canadian Western Bank Loan Fund for Medical Professionals
  • CU Financial Management Named Loan Fund for Atlantic
    Canada
  • Data CM Loan Fund for Immigrant Women
  • DECIEM
  • Deloitte Named Loan Fund
  • Donner Canadian Foundation Loan Fund for Women
  • The Peter Gilgan Foundation Loan Fund for Newcomer Mothers
  • GROW Loan Fund for Women
  • lan Martin Group Fund for Engineering and IT Professionals
  • Karl Jeam Legacy Loan Fund
  • La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso Fund for Women
  • La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso Fund for Women & Refugees
  • La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso Fund for Women in
    Healthcare and Essential Work
  • Laurentian Bank Loan Fund for newcomers in Quebec
  • Lifeline Syria Loan Fund for Syrian Refugees
  • Manulife Fund for Newcomers in Finance and Healthcare
  • Patricia Cochrane Loan Capital Fund
  • Richardson Foundation Loan Capital Fund
  • Scotiabank Healthcare and Essential Worker Named Loan Fund for Quebec Healthcare Professionals
  • Stollery Charitable Foundation Loan Fund for Edmonton
    Constituents
  • Susan McArthur Loan Fund for Women in Engineering and IT
  • The Morris and Rosalind Goodman Family Foundation Named Loan Fund for Quebec Healthcare
    Professionals
  • The RBC Foundation Fund for Skilled Immigrant Youth
  • Toronto Pearson Loan Fund
  • Willow & Grace Foundation Loan Capital Fund for Women Newcomers
  • Windmill Team Loan Capital Fund
  • Anonymous

Community Bond Investors

  • Atkinson Foundation
  • Cliff Cameron
  • Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon
  • Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada
  • The Catherine Donnelly Foundation
  • Dragonfly Ventures
  • Laurel Dykstra
  • ELFEC
  • Fairmount Foundation
  • The Peter Gilgan Foundation
  • Fern Gordon and Pierre Lavallée
  • Green Shield Canada
  • Hamilton Community Foundation
  • Inspirit Foundation
  • Institute for Canadian Citizenship
  • Intact Financial Corporation
  • Dr. Noor Jaffer
  • Carsten Jensen
  • Dr. Anish and Mrs. Pooja Kirpalani
  • Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation
  • The Lawson Foundation
  • Janet and Bill L’Heureux
  • Anita Lorelli and Mark Wallace
  • Walt Macnee
  • Max Bell Foundation
  • JoAnn McCaig
  • The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation
  • Metcalf Foundation
  • MIL Ltd.
  • Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
  • Munford Family Foundation
  • Niagara Community Foundation
  • Oakville Community Foundation
  • Ottawa Community Foundation
  • Alice Peterson
  • The Rebanks Family
  • Julie Scott
  • Jon Shell and Jaimie Donovan
  • Andreas Souvaliotis
  • TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good
  • The United Church of Canada Foundation
  • Toronto Foundation
  • triOS College Business Technology Healthcare Inc & Eastern College Inc.
  • Vancouver Foundation
  • William and Marta Vandermarel
  • Willow & Grace Foundation
  • Norman Young & Janey Law
  • Anonymous (6)

Gifts in Kind

  • Dr. John O'Dwyer
  • McCarthy Tetrault
  • Pricewaterhouse Coopers
  • The Printing House

Hear from our generous supporters

The Azrieli Foundation is delighted to support Windmill Microlending’s work in reaccrediting healthcare workers in Ontario and Quebec. Our partnership helps to facilitate excellence in Canada’s healthcare ecosystem and empower people through access to education. We take pride in knowing that the individuals who benefit from this support will contribute to the wellbeing of their communities – a virtuous cycle that speaks to the Foundation’s values.

Naomi Azrieli 

C, D.Phil Chair and CEO, The Azrieli Foundation 

At Dragonfly Ventures, our investment in Windmill Microlending is grounded in our desire to address barriers for equity seeking communities, including immigrants and refugees, in accessing friendly financing. Given the significance of these challenges, we believe that we should not financially benefit from the efforts of immigrants and refugees in Canada to find meaningful employment in their chosen professions. As a result, we donate all of the interest we earn back from our investments in Windmill Microlending to further their work in supporting immigrants and refugees to upskill and share their gifts in communities across Canada

Annabelle White and Wendy Cooper

Co-CEOs, Dragonfly Ventures

Over the past eight years, we have been privileged to see Windmill grow and develop into one of the best-run social enterprises that we have had the fortune to be involved with. The loans and support Windmill provides to their clients drive compelling economic and social returns for both the loan recipient and Canada at large, while supporting the next generation of Canadians as they find their professional feet in our beautiful country.

Peter Aghar

Windmill Board Director and Founder and President, Crux Capital Corporation

Public funders 

Government of Canada

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) generously supports Windmill’s loan delivery and operational costs benefitting immigrants across the country. The Windmill (formerly IAF) loan fund received early and generous contributions from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

Province of Ontario

The Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development generously supports Windmill’s loan delivery costs for loans benefitting immigrants in Ontario.

Government of Alberta

The Alberta Ministry of Labour generously supports Windmill’s loan delivery costs for loans benefitting immigrants in Alberta.

Province of Quebec

The Ministère du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale (MTESS) of Quebec generously supports the work of Windmill through the Prêts pour la reconnaissance des titres de compétences étrangers (PRTCE) program to support foreign-trained professionals to have their qualifications recognized in Quebec.